The Wahpeton times., 1887-12-15
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S,s - 1xsoR y HA AinlLrox. ron. 4 q d 81
ltwas almost n o'clock as I lsfl
my friend Alport's = Law office, and hpr
ried up town. had delayed 1onge,
than knew. interested deeply in his
account OF an intricate will case, in
which he was just at that time en-.
gagged. As now remember. prop
erty OF some two millions, held by a
residuary legatee. had suddenly been
claimed by one who announced him.
self as the direct heir and devisee, a
nephew Of the testator, who had not
been heard from in several years.
Alport deemed the fellow an i'm.
poster. and although his. story had
been we'll told. and his plan of action
welllaid throughout, my friend thought
he had secured proofs OF its falsity.
In fact he had q bundle OF papers con-
tanning the positive proof that Neil
Harcou.t was not Neil Harcourt,
nephew Of old Duncan Harsourt, tes-
tator; and it was his explanation of
this case that had rendered me so
late on my up town journey.
As l hurried onward, mechanically
my hand sought my pocket for ci-
gar. and finding none-a most unusual
condition Of thinss-l glanced about
for some place where could purchase
some. lr
Just down q side street q light
struck my eye. and moving toward it,
found q small, but neat cigar store,
waited upon by a girl.
entered, threw down my money
and called for cigars. The waitress.
or shop girl, was evidently on the
point of closing. for one light was al.
ready out, and she wore her hat and
shawl; more than that, as she placed
q handful of Regaiias before me
noticed that she had also drawn on
her gloves. and that one, that upon
the left hand, had been torn partly
across the palm and neatly mended
by the insertion of another bit of kid.
This triding incident would doubt
less have escaped me, had it not been
that the glove was a pale orange in
color, whereas the inserted kid was
black.
selected my cigars, lit one and
walked out. An hour later I was q {
home and in bed.
The second morning after read at
my breakfast table that Lawyer Al
port had been murdered the night be.
fore! q
TO say that ] was shocked would
be but feebly to express my horror.
Alport was a warm personal friend,
my attorney, and q man without
stain.
His death in the most natural way
would have been a sad loss to me; to
hear of his end by murder simply par
alyzed me.
|. Leaving the table as soon as could
collect my thoughts sufficiently so to
do, at once threw on a hat and over
coat and hurried down town.
My friends Office was in Blank
street, a little of from the main cur.
rent Of travel, but this morning l
found a number of persons gathered
about it-neighbors, store-keepers
and brother lawyers-passing whom I
confronted an officer standing guard
at the Office door.
He would have stayed my entrance,
but as handed him my card his face
changed.
.'Maj. Minton, of the detectivess" he
said inqulringly.
bowed.
the man at once opened the door.
"You'll find Captain Ross and an
other gentleman inside. I presume
they will be glad to see you."
entered.
As the policeman had said, found
two detectives-men whom / knew
within. Their story was soon mine.
1t seemed that Aiport had been in
his Office late; that q lady had called
in the evening and remained an hour
or more; that after she had left his
light continued to burn a long time
until morning probably-and that it
was not until somsimportunatec client
opened the unlocked door, about 8. q.
m, that the death of the attorney
was known.
He laysdead in his office chsir when
found, 9 thin, foreign-looklng knife
sticking in his heart. Evidently he
had been struck unawares;. there had
been no struggle, but little blood, and
no robbery that the officers could dis.
cover.
Nor was there any clew rema lining.
Evidently q woman had killed him,
though why. was IS yet unanswered.
No one knew the woman.
But the reason-the nlotive?" said
I: "Surely there must have Leen one.
II we can find that, we may have q
clewto the criminal. Without it every.
thing is in the dark"
'"True," replied Ross; "but the mo.
tive is just what puzzles us. It evi.
IDENTIFY was not robbery, as his watch
and money were on his person when
found"
"Hold!" said 1, with a sudden
thought. "Might ne not have been
robbed of papers?" !.
eyes; but what ones? How do we
know what documents he had?"
A new idea had come to me. be-
gan at once to search for the papers
which Alport had read to ME the day
before-the proofs IN the Harcourt
case.
They were gone, but found in their
stead, lying among letters and legal
litter in his waste basket. a ten